Jordanian parliamentary majority calls for resignation of al-Rawabdeh government
Jordan, Politics, 4/14/2000

Some 53 members at the Jordanian parliament called in a message addressed on Wednesday to King Abdullah II for changing the Jordanian government chaired by Abdul Raouf al-Rawabdeh. They called for establishing a "national salvation" government in a step which is considered by observers as a test of the influence of the parliament and its ability to withdraw confidence from the government to force it to resign.

The deputy speaker of the Jordanian Parliament, Bassam Haddadin, told the Lebanese daily al-Nahar that the "parliamentary call for changing the government came after its team was given more than one year to carry out the necessary reforms." He stated that this "government has failed in developing the political situation, reforming the economy and government's administration, a matter which provokes the parliamentarians to appeal to the king to change it."

Haddadin expected that the "king will comprehend the content of the message of the parliamentarians and express his concern on the position of the legislative committee and quit this government."

However, the Jordanian constitution states that the " king is the head the three authorities and he has the right to " appoint the governments and the ministers and quit them."

Jordanian parliamentary sources also told the Lebanese daily al-Nahar that among the first who signed this message, in addition to Islamic, national and independent parliamentarians Saad al-Sorour, who is among the chief leaders of the Bedouins in the northern and eastern parts of the kingdom.

Meanwhile, a member of the Jordanian parliament Ahmad Oweidi al-Abbadi asserted that the parliamentarians who signed the message "appealed the King to quit the government which contributed to deepening the state of deterioration in the political, economic and social conditions in the country." He also told the Lebanese daily al-Nahar on Wednesday that the "message debated before the king the discrepancy of the government to withstand administrative corruption, the stalemate in the state's systems and subjugating the appointment in the public sector for tribal and regional considerations rather than criteria pertinent to efficiency and qualifications."

He continued that the "government has pursued a policy which has weakened the process of democracy, and the last proof of that is the interference into the affairs of universities through appointing, rather then electing, members of the university students council."

The Jordanian Parliament, which is composed of 80 members cannot officially withdraw confidence from the government before the beginning of the ordinary session of the parliament in next November, according to the Jordanian constitution.

Moreover, the Parliament members who call for the resignation of the government have no right to debate this issue of resignation at the special session of the parliament which commences in June, as the work agenda of this session is restricted to studying and then approving certain legislation.

However, the parliament members hope that the king will use his constitutional authorities to remove the government, due to the fact that a number of those who signed the message exceeds the number required to withdraw confidence. The required number of parliamentarians required to withdraw the confidence is 41.

Since its establishment in March 1999, the government of al-Rawabdeh has experienced several and successive shocks, mainly the resignation of the deputy premier and minister of planning, Rima Khalaf, on February 24 because of "personal differences with al-Rawabdeh." This was preceded by the resignations of Minister of Youth Muhammad Mamser and Transport Minister Nasser Lawzi in July 1999 and December 1999, respectively, as well as the resignation of the chairman of the royal court, Abdul Karin al-Kabareiti, and the king's political advisor, Adnan Abu Odeh, on grounds of "personal rows with al-Rawabdeh."

Meanwhile, a liberal reform movement has emerged in confrontation of the conservative trend led by al-Rawabdeh, who was strongly criticized because of his failure to accelerate the process of economic growth, assigning higher posts in the state to persons from his region from northern Jordan and his being accused of pursuing policies that perpetuate discrimination among Jordanians and damaging national unity and violating the royal attempts made to modernize the state of Jordan. He has also been accused of slowing down the process of change and reform out of fears of the social and security cost in a country where the Palestinians constitute more than half of the population.

However al-Rawabdeh who has been able to stand steadfast in the face of his opponents of political reformers thanks to his vast legislative and administrative experience, is now facing a critical situation after this great number of parliamentarians lined up against him. He knows well the consequences of the demand made by the parliamentarians to remove him as he had himself in 1991 held a parliamentary move which succeeded in toppling former Jordanian Prime Minister Taher al-Masri who resigned from his post in response to the call made by 41 Jordanian parliament members asking for his resignation. And this was just six months after he was assigned the post of this government.

Al-Abbadi said, "The country at this phase is in need of a strong government which raises the banner of national salvation, a government in which parliamentarians and politicians of great experience take part and a government which can comprehend the inclination of the Royal palace to modernization, and the optimum reform and political openness."

Previous Stories:
  Jordanian king's political advisor quits his post   (4/6/2000)
  King Abdullah receives Cohen   (4/5/2000)
  Arab human rights organization in Jordan: 80 complaints in 1999   (4/5/2000)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search